Preference for freight car roster construction?

[simon1966]

Every time the next version of the Athearn Blue box saga bubbles to the surface a lively debate seems to develop. I thought it would be interesting to poll the group to find out how we build our rosters. Like most of you, I purchase a variety of models. I have only purchased 2 or 3 R to R cars when they were on an incredible sale at a GATS show. Otherwise I prefer to literally build my roster. So answer the poll from the perspective of which selection best represents the majority of your roster,or which gives you the greatest satisfaction.

[orsonroy]

Personally, I prefer the end results of a highly detailed plastic or resin kit, such as those offered by Branchline or Sunshine. Mind you, they take a lot longer to build, and I personally don't like resin kits (working with liquid plastic cement is much easier than ACC).

While the layout is under construction, I've been slowly building up a stock of car kits from Intermountain, Red Caboose, Branchline, P2K, Westerfield, Sunshine and F&C. As these cars are built, they'll replace my stand-in roster of Accurail, Bowser and Yardmaster cars, except where I can superdetail them to reporesent real cars. I got rid of all my ROundhouse and Athearn freight cars years ago (except for Athearn twin hoppers, which are the only "correct" cars in the BB line).

The goal for me is to have a running layout that's a time machine to the past. Engines and rolling stock don't have to be 100% correct, but they have to be at least 85%. Running trains along the mainline to "virtual railfan" the 1950s is more important to me than collecting cars as fast as possible, as cheaply as possible.

[Eriediamond]

Simon, I'll jump in here with both feet and say I didn't vote as I build my roster of engines and rolling stock with the era and roadnames in mind and the looks of the item. I have rolling stock that runs from freebies and gifts to some complicated 1000 part kits. I'm not a (for lack of better words and I hate this term) rivet counter, but do try to make things look right and not above leaving some under car detail off if I get frustrated with it. Only one to see it will be an occasional HO hobo and Bubba (>^..^<) usually takes care of them. [:-,][:-,][(-D][(-D]

[CP5415]

Right now I would have to say either kits (Bluebox, MDC, Accurail) or RTR if the car fits my idea & needs.
As I'm finding that I want to detail things or buy things that are already detailed, freight cars are not a priority right now for me.
Locomotives & passenger cars are though.

Gordon

[cwclark]

I get the rolling stock any way i can...i've done kits, RTR, and even bought them from train shows, old dusty pawn shops, and garage sales...sometimes the cars are good to go right straight to the layout with a bit of weathering and sometimes I rebuild the car from the ground up including the trucks, couplers, broken underbodies, painting and decaling...

[AggroJones]

My fleet consist of mostly enhanced, weathered Athearn products. I cut off molded on grab irons and install metal ones, add Kadees, new metal wheels, and various weathering. To a lesser extent, I do the Walthers and Accurail kits. Very few products I buy come R-T-R (ready to rebuild). They almost always require disassembly to complete the weathering process.
I rarely get kits that need painting and decaling. Decaling isn't my cup of tea.

If I had the money, I'd be buyin' lots of Red Caboose, Intermountain, and Branchline products.

[BRAKIE]

I use both the Athearn BB kits,RTR cars and Genesis..I also use Walther's and Atlas cars..[:D]

[CBQ_Guy]

Well since I got back into the hobby, and HO about 13 years ago now, I've been buying a lot of kits over that time. When I started, I was actually out of work and was going back to school, and money was tight. I went to my LHS and a lot of train shows, and bought mostly Athearn and MDC cars, as I'm one of those "good enough" modelers. Also, there was no ready to run stuff available, IIRC, the first couple years or so I was building up the fleet.

I am modeling a specific railroad in a specific era and local, so there are specific cars I need and the vast majority I needed for the Burlington, specifically the CB&Q, so that's the majority of what I've bought over the years, no matter who the manufacturer or whatever the cost. If they were needed on the railroad, I always bought what I needed. I've got Burlington shake the box kits I've paid $3.50 for, all the way up to a Burlington brass caboose I paid $150 for because no one else made anything close to this unique design in plastic, but the Burlington had a lot of. I almost paid quite a bit more than that last year for a unique "whale belly" covered cement hopper the Burlington and, I believe only two other railroads had, but they decided not to do the car.

I don't care if it's cheap blue box or high end RTR stuff, if I need it I need it, and I usually buy it.

[IRONROOSTER]

What I enjoy the most is scratchbuilding, but the majority of my operational freight cars are RTR - S Helper cars look pretty good right out of the box. They are set up for Hirail, but include scale wheels and pads for Kadee couplers. Once I get the basic layout finished - track, wiring, and scenery - I expect to do more scratch building and kit building.
Enjoy
Paul

[AntonioFP45]

Majority are Athearn Blue Box followed by MDC/Roundhouse. Light weathering on trucks and body.

All 50 ft. Boxcars and Reefers have had roof walks removed. Am filling in with putty or resin. Kadee coupler lightly rusted. Tip of coupler trip-pins painted silver to simulate hose connectors.

Will purchase a "few" of the highly detailed RTR cars from Atlas as some of them are excellent replica's of what the Seaboard Coast Line had in the 70s.

Only ANNOYING problem that I've had with Athearn freight cars: Sooner or later I wind up with one in which the "ears" that hold the coupler's cover plate are a little warped or too small, and the cover will fall off. Don't like to apply glue, in case I ever have to remove the coupler for servicing or replacement.

[tomwatkins]

I like building detailed and weatherered models, so my favorites are Intermountain, Red Caboose and Branchline. I also like resin kits, which is good because that's sometimes the only way to add "signature" rolling stock such as cabooses and older 36' cars to my roster. Additionally I'll build P2K and Accurail when the model fills a gap in my roster.
Have Fun,
Tom Watkins

[nfmisso]

My roster has some from each category. No particular group has a clear majority. The largest single group, within the above categories is Accurail/Stewart/Branchline Blueprint (mid range kit), but there are also quite a few Athearn blue box and MDC kits, and a fair collection of F&C and Westerfield, and Kadee, IM, & RC RTR.

[ClinchValleySD40]

1/2 ready to run, 1/2 easy kit built. No super details. Strip and repaint quite a few. Mine does not fit the poll.

[CBQ_Guy]

QUOTE: Originally posted by AntonioFP45


Only ANNOYING problem that I've had with Athearn freight cars: Sooner or later I wind up with one in which the "ears" that hold the coupler's cover plate are a little warped or too small, and the cover will fall off. Don't like to apply glue, in case I ever have to remove the coupler for servicing or replacement.

In the Allen Keller video on Doug Geiger's layout (Volume 8) <http://www.allenkeller.com/GMR08.htm>, Doug gives a mini-clinic on building an Athearn freight car and installing Kadee couplers. He files the insides of the metal cover clip to make sure there are no burrs or rough edges to keep it from seating all the way. He also slides the edge of an X-acto blade alongside the coupler box side, on either side of the nub, to get rid of any flash/ridge in that area which would also keep the metal cover clip from seating completely. I also check these clips and make sure they are bent at least 90 degrees, perhaps even just a hair more, so that they tend to grab and stay on a bit better. Sometimes, if you're careful, you can even crimp them on a bit using the very tips of a needle nose pair of pliers.

Hope this helps...[:)]

[Jetrock]

Obviously most modelers will not fit into any one category--I suppose my fleet is mostly blue-box or equivalent, with light weathering and detailing as needed, with Kadee couplers and Intermountain wheelsets.

Personally, I like to scratchbuild buildings, so I tend to put a lot more time and energy into structures than rolling stock. While I have a few Accurail kits, and a couple of Labelle wood interurban kits I have not yet worked up the nerve to build, most of my stuff is relatively shake-the-box in nature. I sometimes buy used equipment at train shows, but typically only if it is (a) right for my prototype and (b) cheaper than buying a kit. RTR I buy only rarely, since there is so little RTR equipment for my prototype--but when it does appear, I like to pick it up.

[philnrunt]

Athearn blue boxer here!
I want to spend my time on buildings and scenery.
I tried a few detailed kits, and honestly, on the layout, I didnt see a big difference. My Athearn, MDC and Roundhouse kits looked fine, were easy to build, and I could knock out 4 a night.
As for rtr, arent they beautiful? Wish I could afford them!

[Anonymous]

Hi there,
Just saw you topic, and not that I have realy looked at it. Athearn Blue Box. would not feather hi on my list. most of my roster concists of: Werthers, Athearn Gen, and P2K. They cost more here but I am in this hobby because i like watching my trains. And looking good is what it is all about.

Have Fun.

[simon1966]

Thanks for all the replys. 33 votes is not a huge sample, but the answers suggest that there is a following for most any kind of model if it fits a gap in the roster. Of course I did not include "cheap, unrealsitic toy trains made by the worst manufacturers" but that thread had not started yet, so they did not cross my mind. Perhaps of greatest interest is that more than 60% weather or add more detail to our models.

[Anonymous]

Simon,

Mostly I like decently detailed kits (no molded grabs minimum). I have dispached most of the Athearn and MDC stuff that I bought early on and have replaced them with more detailed stuff. I have superdetailed some Athearn and MDC reefers. Have built many RGM kits which led me to think that I should scratch build some cars (about the same amount of work). So far I have scratchbuilt some flats. I like to weather stuff. I go for the almost worn-out look using weathered wood decks and lots of rust.

In order of quantity in the roster:
P2k
Red Caboose
Intermountain
Rio Grande Models
RTR P2K and Ertl (not above buying these if the price is right)
Superdetailed Athearn/MDC reefers
scratch built
Tichy

Guy